Effects of Emotional and Psychological Abuse on Children

Psychological and emotional abuse has a long-lasting impact on children. It can be equaling or more than long-lasting effects of the physical abuse. Psychological and emotional abuse in children is not visible as physical abuse but, impact on the children are no less than the physical abuse. How would you know that the child is prone to emotional abuse when there is no physical evidence? Observing few indicators in children will help you identify the problem and take the call to action accordingly.

Emotional and psychological abuse in children

It is actually behavior actions and speech of the parents that have a negative impact on child’s mental condition. According to a definition of Administration for Children and Families, the mental abuse definition is: “a pattern of behavior that impairs a child’s emotional development or sense of self-worth” Emotional abuse of the children can be caused due to a wide range of behaviors and it can occur in all types of families. The common occurrence emotional abuse for the children happens in the families that have financial problems, single parenthood, undergoing substance abuse issues.

Signs of emotional abuse in children

You can identify the child is suffering from the emotional abuse if the child is over affectionate towards strangers, lacking confidence, aggressive towards other children. Emotional abuse in the older children can be observed when they exhibit symptoms like an extreme outburst, isolated from family and lack of social skills.

Effects of Emotional and Psychological Abuse on Children

Emotional and psychological abuse in children has long-lasting effects from infant stage to adulthood of a person.

Relationship difficulties

Emotional abuse in children will not lead to a good relationship with parents at their childhood phase and continues to the rest of the life. The positive relation in the early stage is base for any bonding to strengthen up. In the case of children suffering from psychological abuse, they tend to continually get into an abusive relationship with the parents because they are not aware of an- abusive relationship.

Feeling worthless

Apart from having a weak relation, emotionally abused children feel low in their confidence levels too. These psychologically abused children are told that they are no good in anything and they tend to believe the same. This lack of confidence that progress through adulthood leads to unfulfilling adult roles as they tend to feel low in their confidence levels in completing the job.

Finding it tough to handle emotions

Emotionally abused children are never given a way out to express their emotions. They are often punished for the same. These scenarios never let them know how to express their emotions in the reasonably safe way. The emotions of the psychologically abusive children burst out in the most unpredictable ways leading to mental disorders like anxiety and depression. It can, in fact, disrupt child’s emotional development and they will be lacking the ability to express their emotions. They will fail in maintaining a healthy relationship with other in the later part of their life.